Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Often the journey is the destination for us.
Ways to improve mileage in a JKU?
- Thread starter GFA
- Start date
Exactly. The only time a fly and drive is in time constraints. We only have a week vacation here in Nova Scotia, and we wanted to make the most of it. We chose to take an hr flight instead of a 15 plus hr drive each way, effectively killing 3 days of our vacation. I would never fly instead of drive to save gas money.
Comanche Scott
Expedition Leader
For the freeway portion of the journey, it might be worth building a set of removable air dam and side skirts. The underside of a Jeep is very turbulent. Just make them easy to remove, and toss on the rack for off road time. On some vehicles that is worth a mile or two per gallon.
Also see if there isn't a difference in fuel mileage by using the cruise control or not. Some cruise controls are not the best at maximizing fuel mileage. Some are excellent. It may be that you can control speed and downshifts better than the cruise control.
Any type of forced induction add-on will decrease fuel mileage, so save your money.
Also see if there isn't a difference in fuel mileage by using the cruise control or not. Some cruise controls are not the best at maximizing fuel mileage. Some are excellent. It may be that you can control speed and downshifts better than the cruise control.
Any type of forced induction add-on will decrease fuel mileage, so save your money.
As I stated earlier, If your not rock crawling all the time, you really need to change your gearing. Whoever suggested those gears for your rig has no idea on what they are doing. You can sell those gears to offset the cost of a proper gear setting. I would go with a set of 4.10s. Then you will have miles better milage and still have enough jam for your 33. Going up in tire size will only decrease your milage more.
K2ZJ
Explorer
Or just trade axles. Find someone who wants to upgrade that has higher gears (lower number) and just pull the axles. It will be cheaper than a whole re-gear.
That's my plan pretty much. My local dealer is willing to swap axles with a whole new jeep on top of them for a big stack of $100 bills... Haha
I wouldn't mind the mileage hit if it had significantly improved performance and drivability but it didn't. Just made it slightly more tolerable on the highway and a bit less sluggish around town.
mvbeggs
Adventurer
I ran my 3.8L, 2011 Jeep, with 37's and 5.13 gearing. Pulling a AT Chaser through Vail pass (in Colorado) was still 45mph at 4500rpm. No bueno. After that trip upgraded to the 5.7Hemi. Pulls great. Driveability great. MPG's not so much. Just got home from a 2100 mile trip from Kansas City to Ouray, CO. Averaged 10.25mpg for the trip. That was pulling the fully provisioned AT Teardrop. (the Jeep itself is heavy. Lots of armor, long arms, Dynatrac 44 and 60 axles.)
https://superchips.com/products/jeep-flashcal-3570-3570/
It does the same thing as the procal but has a selectable display instead of dip switches and also is a code reader.
It's basically the same as the flashpaq except it doesn't do any tuning to increase power or mileage.
A
AngryRedBird
Guest
We're not really that concerned with what kind of milage we're getting, but we are concerned with the jeep not pulling very well in the hills of WV and CO.. On our travels, the jeep just couldn't maintain a speed of 70+ in the hills. Thou we were faster that mall the freight trucks.. we did get passed by several other jeeps. Seeing the chart on the afew page back we figured that we have the 4.10 gears.. beauce the previous owner was smart in having these gears for his off roading. Now that we aren't really off roading.. the jeep just doesn't like hills running 70 plus mph.. But one has to realize that we did have a lot of gear and our soft doors in the back.. which made the jeep butt heavy.. and we intend to travel like this but we're going to beef up the coils with spacers if that would do any good.. a slight lift, better tires and of course finding out why we suffered the death wobble in WV while returning home.. checking the alignments only proved three things.. Americas rough roads, tires where unbalanced and the jeep was butt heavy.. Anyway.. leaving Maryland and heading due west but not the normal route.. more of the back road and some of the worst roads in America. Taking a northern route to CO and a southern route back.. we spent $956.34 worth of fuel.. Traveling 4789 miles.. and I'm not math major.. so if anyone can give me an average on this I'd be grateful.
Otherwise.. add weight, bigger tires etc.. your fuel cost will go up and the MPG will drop.. I'm almost under the option that next time.. we rent a car.. but thats not going to happen..
Otherwise.. add weight, bigger tires etc.. your fuel cost will go up and the MPG will drop.. I'm almost under the option that next time.. we rent a car.. but thats not going to happen..
Comanche Scott
Expedition Leader
If my math is right that's about $0.20/mile, or about 17mpg if gas was $3.50/gallon on your trip.
My math is; divide miles into fuel cost to get dollar per mile. Then guestimate fuel cost per gallon, and divide cost per mile into fuel cost per gallon to get guestimated fuel mileage.
hth,
My math is; divide miles into fuel cost to get dollar per mile. Then guestimate fuel cost per gallon, and divide cost per mile into fuel cost per gallon to get guestimated fuel mileage.
hth,
mvbeggs
Adventurer
The AEV Procal is used to reprogram the chassis computer to tell the computer what tire size and gear ratio you are running. Reprogramming will correct the speedometer, odometer, and get the shift points at the correct spot. (the ProCal also provides additional functions beyond this) After I re geared and started running 37's, my shift points were terrible. Stuck in the AEV ProCal and made the necessary changes. The difference in driveability was night and day.
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AngryRedBird
Guest
hey thanks for that.. and no we didn't see very many major highways.. just some of the worst back roads in america,, being simi loaded down didn't help either.. so it has become a weight displacement issue.. making sure things go back in the way they came out.. and yet the wife is suggesting we get the Lodge hibachi grill .. More weight.. maybe there is a way to mount the grill on the front of the jeep (covered) appearing to look like a winch.. hum.. *ponders*